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| slackware:usbboot [2008/11/18 16:30] – Slackware now does this out of the box. Mention that. alien | slackware:usbboot [2009/11/27 13:20] (current) – Use haX instead of hda to prevent disaster when copying/pasting alien |
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| * Create a DOS formatted image file: <code> | * Create a DOS formatted image file: <code> |
| mkfs.msdos -n USBSLACK -F 16 -C /tmp/slackboot/usbboot.img ${USBIMG) | mkfs.msdos -n USBSLACK -F 16 -C /tmp/slackboot/usbboot.img ${USBIMG} |
| </code> You will notice that we use the switch "''-C''" and the variable ''${USBIMG}'' that we calculated in the previous step. With the ''mkfs.msdos'' commandline like that, we can omit the step where we would use the "''dd''" command to create the file prior to formatting it - ''mkfs.msdos'' will do that for us at no cost.\\ The command also labels the new FAT filesystem with the name //USBSLACK// (the "''-n USBSLACK''" option) but this is not required.\\ The important piece of information that is contained in the command is the fact that this FAT filesystem **must** be a FAT16 filesystem (''-F 16''). It is tempting to use FAT32 but the ''syslinux'' bootloader will fail to make the USB stick bootable if the filesystem is not FAT16.\\ \\ The file ''/tmp/slackboot/usbboot.img'' will eventually be the file to copy to the USB stick. | </code> You will notice that we use the switch "''-C''" and the variable ''${USBIMG}'' that we calculated in the previous step. With the ''mkfs.msdos'' commandline like that, we can omit the step where we would use the "''dd''" command to create the file prior to formatting it - ''mkfs.msdos'' will do that for us at no cost.\\ The command also labels the new FAT filesystem with the name //USBSLACK// (the "''-n USBSLACK''" option) but this is not required.\\ The important piece of information that is contained in the command is the fact that this FAT filesystem **must** be a FAT16 filesystem (''-F 16''). It is tempting to use FAT32 but the ''syslinux'' bootloader will fail to make the USB stick bootable if the filesystem is not FAT16.\\ \\ The file ''/tmp/slackboot/usbboot.img'' will eventually be the file to copy to the USB stick. |
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| <note warning> | <note warning> |
| Take care about which device actually is your USB stick !!! The next command will render all present data on ''/dev/sda'' inaccessible by deleting it's partition table!!! | Take care about which device actually is your USB stick !!! The next command will render all present data on ''/dev/sdX'' inaccessible by deleting it's partition table!!! |
| </note> | </note> |
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| * First, wipe the bootsector of the USB stick: <code> | * First, wipe the bootsector of the USB stick: <code> |
| dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1 | dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=512 count=1 |
| </code> | </code> |
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| * Then, create a new FAT16 partition (//type '6'// in fdisk terminology) on the stick and write a FAT32 (vfat) filesystem on it: <code> | * Then, create a new FAT16 partition (//type '6'// in fdisk terminology) on the stick and write a FAT32 (vfat) filesystem on it: <code> |
| fdisk /dev/sda <<EOF | fdisk /dev/sdX <<EOF |
| n | n |
| p | p |
| w | w |
| EOF | EOF |
| mkdosfs -F32 /dev/sda1 | mkdosfs -F32 /dev/sdX1 |
| </code> The 10 lines starting with "''fdisk /dev/sda <<EOF''" and ending with the single word "''EOF''" are actually one single command spread over ten lines, //including// the two empty lines. This format is called a [[wp>heredoc|here-document]]. It allows us to use a command which expects interactive input (fdisk) non-interactively, in a shell script for instance. If you're uncomfortable with it you can just run <code>fdisk /dev/sda</code> and create a partition interactively :-) | </code> The 10 lines starting with "''fdisk /dev/sdX <<EOF''" and ending with the single word "''EOF''" are actually one single command spread over ten lines, //including// the two empty lines. This format is called a [[wp>heredoc|here-document]]. It allows us to use a command which expects interactive input (fdisk) non-interactively, in a shell script for instance. If you're uncomfortable with it you can just run <code>fdisk /dev/sdX</code> and create a partition interactively :-) |
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